“Ah,” Manny blurted before realizing his reaction was inappropriate. He quickly put on a smile instead. “That’s true. We already worked out almost everything. It’s the same no matter who takes over. The next step was simply signing the contract.”He stood up and extended his hand. Elliott rose as well, and the two shook hands.Manny smiled. “Pleasure working with you, Mr. Durham.”“The pleasure is mine.”After the handshake, they both sat back down.Misty served a freshly brewed pot of tea.“Misty, you can go back to work. I’ll take care of Mr. Durham.”“Of course. Call me if you need anything, Mr. Manny.”Misty nodded at Elliott, then left.Elliott also asked Janet to step outside. Only he and Manny remained in the office.“Manny, how did something this big happen in your family without a single rumor getting out? I only learned about it after I landed today. I was worried the partnership was going to fall apart.“Laurence really is ruthless. He sidelined you the moment he

Elliott said understandingly, “That makes sense. It’s not something you can decide. But now that our companies are partners, if Mr. Longbottom hosts a banquet, I’m sure clients like us will be on the guest list.”After all, he was now a major client of Longbottom Corporation.Manny smiled without saying anything.Seeing Manny clearly in a bad mood, Elliott did not stay in the office for long and soon left.After casually looking around the building, he returned to the VIP lounge to wait for Laurence.Once Laurence finished his work, he came to meet him. They chatted for another ten or so minutes before Elliott finally left.Laurence offered to treat him to a meal, but he declined, saying there was plenty of work waiting for him back at his own company.Thus, Laurence did not press the matter.After seeing Elliott off, several elders of the family, including Tony, arrived.There were eight in total. It was rare for so many elders to visit the company together.The employees st

Tony exchanged looks with the other elders before glancing at Noelle. Then, he forced a kind smile, putting on an affectionate air as if concerned for Laurence.“We came today for two things. The first is that now you’ve officially taken over the family, we should choose a date to host a celebration for our family, friends, and prominent figures from the business world.“That serves to affirm your status as the head of the family. Every generation of the Longbottom family has held such a banquet after assuming leadership.“It’s an important tradition.”Laurence nodded. “Since it’s a family tradition, I’ll naturally follow it, but there’s no need to rush. We can arrange it after things have settled down.“When you have time, please help to select a few suitable dates. I’ll choose one from among them.“As for the guest list, procedures, and everything else, I’d like for Uncle Tony to draft a plan for me to review. I only just took over, and there are many things I don’t understand,

Tony thought that as long as Laurence came back alive, the latter would definitely look in on his maternal relatives. Once he saw his cousin living such a hard life, would he not lend a helping hand then?All he needed to do was have his men keep an eye on that cousin of Laurence’s, and he would know if Laurence was back.Laurence knew of her existence and had also guessed that his enemy would be watching her. He had returned to Havenmill many years ago, but he forced himself to remain detached and avoid contacting his cousin.However, he was aware of how she was doing.Now that he had made his identity public, he could contact his estranged relatives from the Lanes, the second most influential family in Havenmill, who were also his great-grandmother’s family.Laurence did not have family connections or influence, so naturally he would not be allowed to marry a powerful wife, because that would only allow the main branch of the family to return to its former glory.Now Laurence w

Laurence’s expression darkened, and he turned to Tony. “How is Noelle not worthy of me? So what if she’s my bodyguard? To me, she’s not just my bodyguard. She’s my childhood friend.“She only lowered herself to be my bodyguard because she wanted to protect me, out of concern for me.”Tony exchanged glances with the rest before he eased his expression and said, “Even if Noelle is your childhood friend, she is an orphan and not worthy of you in terms of status.“The lady of the house has to be from a family of equal standing as ours, or at the very least, come from a rich family. Does either of those apply to Noelle?“You mustn’t let emotions dictate your decisions. This concerns the future of the entire Longbottom family. If the future missus’s status is too low, she won’t have any dignity or standing within the family. Once people look down on her, they’ll be looking down on you too.“And if the missus were to attend social engagements, she’ll still be looked down on, mocked, and